self-interrupt

present singular third person self-interrupts · participle present self-interrupting · participle past self-interrupted · past self-interrupted

1. intransitivetransitiveto interrupt (an ongoing task or activity, or the person performing it) due to distractions, or shifting priorities.

   As was mentioned in a previous section, the lure of digital technology may also be having a wider impact on the potential for individuals to automatically ‘self-interrupt’ their current activities.

   2017, Lee Hadlington, Cybercognition: Brain, Behaviour and the Digital World, SAGE Publications, page 117

   3 more examples

   The class discussion that ensued after her statement confirmed that having limited technology distractions helped the students realize that not only did they self-interrupt themselves, but they were causing their own perceptions of overload by being so responsive to others.

   2016, Dawna Ballard, Matthew McGlone, editors, Work Pressures: New Agendas in Communication, Taylor & Francis, page 12

   We don’t know exactly why people self-interrupt. There can, in fact, be different reasons. People may self-interrupt to take a break. People may self-interrupt out of habit or may even be conditioned to self-interrupt. One reason that could explain some self-interruptions is that they occur when people need a problem to incubate.

   2022, Gloria Mark, Multitasking in the Digital Age, Springer International Publishing, page 36

   This test helps to (a) build your executive stamina and train your brain not to act on impulses immediately, and (b) determine whether the urge to self-interrupt is a habit or a need for a brief disconnection.

   2024, Dr Faye Begeti, The Phone Fix: The Brain-Focused Guide to Building Healthy Digital Habits and Breaking Bad Ones, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 207